7 LGBTQ+ comedians you should know

Dewayne Perkins

This Chicago native got his start in comedy, but is actually a triple threat. Comedian, actor, and screenwriter Dewayne Perkins brings the laughs to all of his projects, whether that’s doing standup for Comedy Central, acting on The Upshaws, or reinventing the horror comedy genre with his film The Blackening. Needless to say, there’s really nothing he can’t do, but believe he’ll do it hilariously. 

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Dewayne Perkins Was Destined for Stardom and The Blackening Will Prove That

Dewayne Perkin’s success took a little serendipity, a lot of hard work, and Black women in Hollywood rooting for him.

Sabrina Wu

From high school talent shows to starring in feature films, Sabrina Wu’s rise to comedy stardom is pretty prolific. After graduating Harvard University (no big deal), they joined Disney+’s Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. as a staff writer. Of course, they didn’t stay behind the camera long, as they starred in Adele Lim’s Joy Ride alongside Stephanie Hsu, Ashley Park, and fellow comedian Sherry Cola. And when you add in being named one of Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch, we can say that Wu is a big deal. 

Related:

Stephanie Hsu and Sherry Cola Almost Had a Gay Storyline in ‘Joy Ride’

While we didn’t get a long drawn out gay scene between Hsu and Cola, there’s always room for more queer shenanigans in a sequel. 

Sophie Santos

Sophie Santos’ comedy 50% confessional, 50% awkward, and 100% hilarious. The award-winning comedian is pushing the “Lesbian Agenda” (also the name of her standup show) through comedy, while finding time to write for shows like Kenan Thompson’s Lil Interns and creating her own Lambda Literary Award-winning book One You Want to Marry (And Other Identities I’ve Had). Sophie is busy sharing lesbian propaganda and we want to share it with her. 

Mawaan Rizwan

Being a YouTuber isn’t necessarily a walk in the park, but making a transition into comedy isn’t any less difficult. Still, British comedian Mawaan Rizwan makes it look easy. From writing for shows like Sex Education, to producing comedic music videos like the juicy “Mango,” to performing at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Rizwan is taking his talents everywhere. But why stop there? He recently released the TV series Juice based on his Edinburgh Fringe show and will pop up the upcoming season of Doctor Who. 

Related:

Doctor Who casts yet another dreamy queer actor for new season

Comedian Mawaan Rizwan will be introduced in a charity special later this week, before joining the full cast in the upcoming special.

‘Sex Education’ season 4 helps us understand the importance of community

If anything, this season gives us a real education on what it means to find people who truly get us. 

Patti Harrison

In an interview for Vogue, Patti Harrison described herself as “an evil shitty person on stage, in a very conscious way—the evil is punching up.” Well, if that’s the case, then we want her comedy to be as evil as can be. In 2017, Harrison (who’s transgender) gained immense popularity from appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon as a correspondent where she joked about (and tore apart) Donald Trump’s ban on trans folks in the military. Since then, she’s appeared on Ziwe, Shrill, Theater Camp, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. No billionaire-turned-president is safe around Harrison. 

Kemah Bob

Kemah Bob’s comedy is a little bit of advocacy and a whole lot of laughs. With her work centering around Blackness, mental health, sexuality, and gender, this queer comedian uses comedy as a tool for enlightenment, empowerment, and, of course, plenty of humor. Taking her talents from Texas to the UK, they hosted It’s a Sin – After Hours, co-host The Guilty Feminist podcast, in addition to writing for Quibi’s Hello America, Netflix’s Death to 2020 & Death to 2021, and British panel show Have I Got News For You. Did we mention that they also have a drag persona named Lil’ Test Ease?